Archive for October, 2013

“Eric Red digs deep into his seemingly endlessly macabre bag of tricks to turn the tables on Nabokov, and stops at nothing to entertain. Creating a pace, a flow and mood that only a true master of his craft can. A genuine look at the troubles of teenage angst in the company of alluring deviants. It’s a heavy dish of blood, lust, death and debacle, yet it will only leave you craving more.”—James B. Carter, author of “The Dying Season” and 2014′s The Last Blue Sky

“Don’t Stand So Close by Eric Red is a prime example of art imitating real life. I mean that in a good way. Red brings true horror to the reader in a classic tale of teenage hormones gone awry. Be careful not to ‘stand so close’ to this one, as you might end up drenched in all sorts of gooey bodily fluids. Then again, isn’t that part of the fun? I think so. Highly Recommended!” —Ty Schwamberger, author of The Fields, Dinin’ & The Killing Club

“Eric Red’s debut novel, DON’T STAND SO CLOSE, is an intoxicating tale of seduction, anxiety and courage, nudging the reader to explore their own emotional vulnerability and consider the complexities of the human psyche, no doubt leaving many thinking to themselves Thank God it wasn’t me!”

The second novel by Eric Red, screenwriter of the horror classics THE HITCHER and NEAR DARK, is THE GUNS OF SANTA SANGRE, a horrific western, I’ll say this: it reads very much like an Eric Red movie with its fast moving narrative that mixes breakneck action and gory horror in a manner Red practically invented, albeit without the budgetary and censorship issues that tend to mar so many of his films (which in addition to the abovementioned masterworks include lesser efforts like COHEN AND TATE, BODY PARTS and 100 FEET). I wouldn’t call this novel great, although I would say it’s above average.

The setting is old west Mexico, where a pack of werewolves have taken over a small town and its church Santa Sangre (meaning Holy Blood, and a tribute, I assume, to the Alejandro Jodorowsky film of that title). There Pilar, a hot chick who initially masquerades as a man, is desperate for some pure-hearted bandits to show up and take on the werewolves. It seems she’s found her heroes in the form of Tucker, Fix and Bodie, an infernal trio of tough-as-shit Americans. After a period of (entirely understandable) hesitation the three gunslingers, all wanted for murder in the U.S., join Pilar’s cause, leading to a splatterific MAGNIFICENT SEVEN-on-steroids climax.

Structurally the novel is impeccable, showcasing Red’s storytelling instincts at full power. As in so many of Red’s scripts, the emphasis is on horrific action throughout, with the mushy parts kept to a minimum. The western setting is depicted with a great deal of atmospheric grit and grime, while the characterizations are about as you might expect–which is to say the people in this novel are all developed just as much as they need to be and no more.

The unforgiving shape shifters make for fitting antagonists (angsty Anne Rice creations they aren’t), and the whole thing clocks in at an economical 201 pages. Thus, in the category of unpretentious action-horror THE GUNS OF SANTA SANGRE works without question. Those wanting something more resonant are advised to look elsewhere.

“They’re hired guns. The best at what they do. They’ve left bodies in their wake across the West. But this job is different. It’ll take all their skill and courage. And very special bullets. Because their targets this time won’t be shooting back. They’ll fight back with ripping claws, tearing fangs and animal cunning. They’re werewolves. A pack of bloodthirsty wolfmen has taken over a small Mexican village, and the gunmen are the villagers’ last hope. The light of the full moon will reveal the deadliest showdown the West has ever seen—three men with six-shooters facing off against snarling, inhuman monsters.”

The book is available now from Samhain Publishing at your favorite bookstore, on-line bookseller or at samhainpublishing.com.